UPDATE: There are some strange things going on in the final vote count. Maybe it’s not over. They sure got Owens sworn in fast. What happens if he lost the election ?
Well, Hoffman lost but not by much. Dede Scozzafava managed to sink him by endorsing the Democrat. So much for Newt Gingrich’s counsel. He had several factors against him. He apparently did not live in the district although it is huge. I suspect his business is in the district but that was not enough. He also did poorly on local issues in a newspaper interview. That could be a phony issue if the paper was supporting someone else but this was not a good moment.
Regarding the proposed rooftop highway across the top of the district linking Watertown to Plattsburgh, Mr. Hoffman said only that he was open to studying the idea that has been around for years and will require federal financial assistance to complete.
Mr. Hoffman had no opinion about winter navigation and widening the St. Lawrence Seaway with their potential environmental damage. He was not familiar with the repercussions of a proposed federal energy marketing agency for the Great Lakes, which could pay for Seaway expansion contrary to district interests.
A flustered and ill-at-ease Mr. Hoffman objected to the heated questioning, saying he should have been provided a list of questions he might be asked. He was, if he had taken the time to read the Thursday morning Times editorial raising the very same questions.
That was lame. He is also not that impressive being interviewed on TV. I can see how the locals would resent the effort to make the campaign about national issues. Jobs and spending and deficits are universal but he seems to have done a poor job with the local paper.
Coming to Mr. Hoffman’s defense, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, who accompanied the candidate on a campaign swing, dismissed regional concerns as “parochial” issues that would not determine the outcome of the election.
Ouch ! Armey should know better than that.
Here is a post by a Hoffman supporter on the election. He makes some sweeping claims that may not bear out. A few commenters add to the discussion, then the usual trolls appear. You can spot the lefties by their use of the obscene derogatory “teabagger.” Once you see that word, you know they do not mean well and anything they say is spin.
The Virginia election was a real triumph for the GOP with the whole top slate plus many down ballot races being won.
I think it is worthwhile to note that McDonnell campaigned on the issues of spending, taxes and regulation while his opponents, including the Washington Post, got hysterical about his social views. I think that is the right approach and I think the less said by candidates about social issues next year, the better.
New Jersey turned out better than many expected. Christie was criticized before the election for refusing to rule out tax increases and by resisting the property tax issue in debates. Since he won, I guess he was right.
In California, I had some hopes for the special election in the Bay Area where Garamendi was running for CA 10 against David Harmer and won in a low turnout election. That has been a safe seat for the Democrats for years but hope springs eternal.
Turnout was estimated to be about 39 percent – “an exceptionally high figure” for a special congressional election in California, said Steve Weir, clerk-recorder for Contra Costa County, where nearly 70 percent of the district’s voters live. The district includes parts of Alameda, Solano and Sacramento counties.
The vote totals, as pointed out by a commenter at Patterico, suggest that Republicans turned out well but there just aren’t enough of them in that district.
In Tucson, the tea party movement had some success in ousting one of the left wing city council members. One has been counted as lost and the other is close. That would be a significant achievement.
Tea parties and a testy national mood aside, Ward 3 incumbent Karin Uhlich is holding on to a narrow lead over Ben Buehler-Garcia.
Nina Trasoff was trailing Republican Steve Kozachik, leaving both races too close to call, with thousands of early ballots still to be counted.
Well, 2010 is coming.
Tags: Democrats, economy, politics, Republicans
One near universal sentiment seems to be disgust with Gingrich.
Sanford self-destructed during the summer. Gingrich lost his mojo with many conservatives when he “reluctantly” supported TARP and worsened the rift via throwing his support to the RINO Scozzafava.
“Losing” Gingrich hurts conservatism far worse than losing the NY 23rd special congressional election did.
Palin’s book had BETTER be the real deal! I pray that she’s taken the last few months to improve her interview skills.
Palin may not be the perfect GOP candidate, but compare her to Huckabee, Romney, Pawlenty…
No matter how badly Obama and the Dems destroy our economy and hurt our national security, it’s going to be a tough uphill battle to beat Obama (or perhaps HRC) in ’12. As the old saying goes, “you can’t beat someone with no one.”
One other “Election 2009” comment:
BLOOMBERG.
Yeah… he won.
Yeah… principles and theory aside… on simple pragmatic grounds he “should” have won.
Thing is… he didn’t win by much and all the polls had him winning by a huge margin.
I know quite a bit about polling and I’m telling you folks… it’s not nearly as dependable as common “wisdom” claims.
BILL
I agree that the candidate will be crucial. I fear the economy will be a major issue and foreign policy may be just as bad. The electorate made their point by electing a black president. That’s done. I don’t think he will have nearly as much support on that basis next time. I’m just worried about how bad it may be.
Here’s one of those things you see and want to show everyone you know.